Durbin began performing in public in her early teens and after winning a talent contest at an Auckland ballroom, she was signed to Eldred Stebbiing's Zodiac Records at the age of 14 and issued a number of singles on the label. Her third Zodiac single, a cover of Herman's Hermits "Can't You Hear My Heartbeat", out-sold the original in New Zealand and became her first chart hit[1]. She built up a following in New Zealand, recording and fronting the Mike Perjanik Group and she travelled with them to Australia in 1966 for residencies in Sydney. After nine months in Sydney she left the group to establish a solo career, making numerous appearances on Australian TV pop and variety shows[2].
Durbin's first single for New Zealand HMV, "I Have Loved Me A Man", became a #1 hit in New Zealand and also a hit in Australia. The song won her the 1968 "Loxene Golden Disc Award" at the New Zealand Music Awards and she was named New Zealand Entertainer of the Year in 1969.[3] For three years running (1969, 1970 and 1971), she won Australia’s "Queen Of Pop" award for Best Female Artist.[4]
In 1971 she recorded a duet album, Together, with John Farnham, who had been voted Australia's "King Of Pop" during the same years Durbin received her awards[5].
Her other records include:
* "Put Your Hand in the Hand of the Man"
* "Are You Lonesome Tonight?"
* "If I Said You Had A Beautiful Body Would You Hold It Against Me" (included in the 2001 compilation album The Very Best of Kiwi Country)
* "Amerikan Music" (included in Kiwi Classics Volume 6)
* "Don't Come Any Closer" (included in [[Give It A Whirl (soundtrack)]]).
In the late 1960s Durbin began a relationship with expatriate New Zealand record producer Howard Gable, then a senior A&R manager/house producer for EMI Australia, and they subsequently married and started a family. During the 1970s, as her career waned, Durbin began using heroin and her marriage to Gable ended. In 1985 she publicly acknowledged her battle with drugs and sought treatment at Odyssey House, a drug rehabilitation centre, but she was struck by a car just after her release from the centre, which left her with serious injuries, including a broken jaw. After she recovered, she worked as a country music singer in the late 1980s.[6] On 1 June 2007, under her married name Allison Giles, she was sentenced to 12 months' jail for cannabis trafficking. One of her co-accused, the man she allegedly supplied with marijuana, was the convicted drug dealer Giuseppe "Joe" Barbaro[7].
[edit] References
Morning Dew
Allison Durbin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Walk me out in the morning dew today
Can't walk you out in the morning dew, my honey
Can't walk you out in the morning dew at all
Thought I heard a young man crying, oh baby
Thought I heard a young man crying today
You didn't hear no young man crying, oh baby
Thought I heard a young man crying, oh baby
Thought I heard a young man crying today
You didn't hear no young man crying
You didn't hear no young man crying at all
Now there's no more morning dew
Now there's no more morning dew
What they were saying all these years was true
Now there's no more morning dew
Thought I heard a young man crying, oh baby
Thought I heard a young man crying today
You didn't hear no young man crying, oh baby
You didn't hear no young man crying at all
Now there's no more morning dew
Now there's no more morning dew
What they were saying all these years was true
Now there's no more morning dew
The song "Morning Dew" by Allison Durbin is a haunting and melancholic tune that explores themes of love, loss, and the passing of time. The opening lines of the song set the tone for the rest of the lyrics, with the singer asking their love to walk with them in the morning dew. The use of natural imagery, such as the dew on the grass, creates a poetic and romantic atmosphere. However, the lyrics soon take a darker turn when the singer reveals that they can no longer walk with their love in the morning dew.
The imagery of a young man crying adds to the sad and mournful quality of the song. It is unclear who the young man is or why he is crying, but his cries add a sense of tragedy to the lyrics. However, the singer quickly dismisses the idea of the young man crying, emphasizing that their love did not hear him at all. This could be seen as a kind of denial, with the singer refusing to acknowledge the pain and sadness that surrounds them.
The final lines of the song are perhaps the most powerful. The repetition of "now there's no more morning dew" creates a sense of finality and loss. The singer seems to be reflecting on the passing of time, and the realization that things will never be the same again. The song ends on a melancholic note, leaving the listener with a deep sense of sadness and longing.
Line by Line Meaning
Walk me out in the morning dew, my honey
Take a walk with me in the fresh morning dew, my love
Walk me out in the morning dew today
Take a walk with me in the fresh morning dew today
Can't walk you out in the morning dew, my honey
I am unable to take a walk with you in the fresh morning dew, my love
Can't walk you out in the morning dew at all
I am unable to take a walk with you in the fresh morning dew at all
Thought I heard a young man crying, oh baby
I believed I heard a young man crying, oh dear
Thought I heard a young man crying today
I believed I heard a young man crying today
You didn't hear no young man crying, oh baby
You did not hear a young man crying, oh dear
You didn't hear no young man crying at all
You did not hear a young man crying at all
Now there's no more morning dew
Now there is no fresh morning dew left
What they were saying all these years was true
What they have been saying all these years has been true
Writer(s): Bonnie Dobson, Tim Rose
Contributed by Jordyn Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.